The Dakar digital street e book doesn’t persuade bike riders: “It is a love-hate relationship” | Sports | EUROtoday

The second week of the Dakar Rally started with extra complaints in regards to the digital street e book from bike riders. Although there was a gathering between the factories and ASO, the organizer of the check, to debate the quite a few mishaps of the digital tablets newly launched this yr for navigation throughout the remainder day in Hail, the reality is that the contributors know completely effectively who must make do with what’s included on this version.

“I think it is a very good system that will be very good for the future, but it is not yet 100% ready to be able to compete in a Dakar,” Tosha Schareina, Honda driver, mentioned on the topic on the Al Duwadimi bivouac. The 29-year-old Valencian started his comeback operation within the rally by slicing a number of helpful minutes from the chief Daniel Sanders, from KTM, who nonetheless enjoys a cushion of just about 12 minutes over the Spaniard, second within the normal classification. The 829 kilometer beating, 606 of them timed, left defending champion Ricky Brabec (Honda) because the stage winner, who set a time of 5h00m51s on the end line of the particular.

The falls of the rally-raid world champion, the Botswanan Ross Branch (Hero), who was fourth within the desk, and the South African Bradley Cox (KTM), the most effective personal in twelfth place, resulted in abandonment and switch by helicopter to the hospital, fortuitously with out critical accidents. The Catalan Edgar Canet (KTM), the most effective rookie general at 19 years previous, additionally suffered the primary fall of his Dakar profession, however was capable of proceed ahead regardless of extreme ache in his wrist and again.

Once the day was accomplished, the subject of tablets and digital route books as soon as once more generated a stir throughout the caravan. Schareina regretted the technological serial that has brought on widespread complaints amongst all pilots. These issues come along with the makes an attempt of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) to compensate for the time losses attributable to these failures. “I am satisfied that they give Daniel’s time back and whoever gets his turn, but it seems that only he can enjoy this privilege,” the Valencian harshly criticized. During the primary stage, the Spaniard had conveyed his complaints to the director of the Dakar, David Castera, after discovering a degree on the route poorly marked in his digital e book.

Sanders obtained an eight-minute penalty on Thursday for breaking three velocity limits, however the Australian subsequently confirmed that he had misplaced management of the digital pill that replaces rolled paper route books, the normal know-how within the rally. They did take heed to him. The stewards determined, throughout the remainder day, to present him again the penalty time. The concession infected the spirits of different pilots who had complained in different levels of comparable issues, from Nacho Cornejo (Hero) to Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco).

“It is a considerable change, and it has positive and negative aspects,” assured the person from Salamanca, winner of a stage within the 2025 version, to EL PAÍS. “It opens up new possibilities for the future, with parallel or mirror routes, the option to make modifications or updates on the fly, even sending messages. With the hand on the handlebar we have more options at our disposal, where we can modify and validate the points, see distances and your traces. The issue of reflections will always be a problem, since it will never be like paper. Technology has evolved a lot, but the technical failures that we already experienced in Morocco have been repeated and can be a handicap when facing the race,” he concluded.

“It’s a love-hate relationship. You forget about the zeal and the colors, about those minutes before the stage with cold hands trying to glue the route book. With the digital one you enter a code and everything is ready,” mentioned Javi Vega, who participates with the Chinese Kove within the unassisted class. “The sun is a problem, you have to put your head and shoulders to provide shade. When you are tired, with the passing of the days and the kilometers, it can be difficult to change from focusing on the screen and then on real life,” he added.

Castera, given the commotion generated, has assured that digital tablets have develop into the scapegoat of some contributors and groups when issues go unsuitable. The venture of digitizing the street e book is one in every of his private bets, and has been growing for the reason that 2022 version. The normal feeling of the pilots is that the know-how shouldn’t be but utterly prepared, and plenty of wish to take a step again and be capable to return to paper.

In the automobile class, the day again to the competitors handed with none main incidents. The Belgian Guillaume de Mevius (Mini) received with a time of 4h34m49s, whereas Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) misplaced a couple of minutes with the leaders of the race. South African Hank Lategan (Toyota) continues to steer the classification with seven minutes forward of his Saudi teammate Yazeed Al Rajhi and half an hour forward of the Qatari driver, five-time winner of the Dakar.